Kays Ruiz-Atil (born 26 August 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Challenger Pro League club Francs Borains.

Kays Ruiz-Atil
Ruiz-Atil with Paris Saint-Germain in 2020
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-08-26) 26 August 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Lyon, France
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Francs Borains
Number 11
Youth career
2006–2008 FC Gerland
2009 Lyon
2009–2015 Barcelona
2015–2020 Paris Saint-Germain
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 Paris Saint-Germain 7 (0)
2021–2022 Barcelona B 11 (0)
2022–2023 Auxerre 1 (0)
2022–2023 Auxerre B 1 (0)
2024– Francs Borains 8 (1)
International career
2021–2022 France U20 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:24, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Early life

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Kays Ruiz-Atil was born in Lyon[1] and grew up in the Gerland part of Lyon's 7th arrondissement[2] in a French and Moroccan family. His father Radouan Atil is Moroccan, and his mother Antonia Ruiz is French.[3]

Club career

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Early career

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Having first played for FC Gerland and Lyon,[4] Ruiz-Atil gained media attention in 2009 when he was recruited by Barcelona at only 7 years old.[5]

Paris Saint-Germain

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After the Barcelona transfer ban due to illegal signings of underage players,[6] Ruiz-Atil moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2015.[7] But this move later proved to be controversial in the 2018 Football Leaks; there, the Parisian club was accused of having made an illegal transfer, with a suspicious employment of his father Radouan. This did not however lead to any legal procedure, PSG having seemingly received the approval of international institutions.[8] Before these controversies, Ruiz-Atil had signed a first "aspirant" contract with PSG in June 2017, locking his presence in the Paris Saint-Germain Academy.[9] On 31 August 2018, he signed his first professional contract with the club.[10] In the following seasons, Ruiz-Atil played in the UEFA Youth League, under the supervision of Thiago Motta for the 2018–19 season, to whom he was quite close.[3] At this time, his public image did not seem to have suffered greatly from the Football Leaks, Ruiz-Atil having for instance signed a big contract with Adidas.[3][10]

On 10 September 2020, Ruiz-Atil made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain in a 1–0 Ligue 1 loss to Lens.[11] He was part of the starting lineup for the match, but was substituted for Colin Dagba after 68 minutes of play.[12] For much of the 2020–21 season, Ruiz-Atil was training with and playing matches for PSG's first team; he made a total of seven appearances under the management of Thomas Tuchel in the first half of the season. However, in February 2021, one month after the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, he was sent back to train with the under-19 squad, with his departure at the end of his contract in June 2021 becoming increasingly likely according to various reports.[13] On 25 May, he officially announced on social media his departure from PSG at the end of his contract.[14]

Barcelona B

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On 12 July 2021, Ruiz-Atil returned to Barcelona, signing a three-year contract with an option for a further two years. He was assigned to the reserve team in the Primera División RFEF. His buyout clause was set at 50 million euros, and upon a promotion to the first team, the clause would have risen to 100 million.[15] He made his debut on 6 November in a 4–0 home win against Sevilla Atlético, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Antonio Aranda.[16] On 11 May 2022, Barcelona announced that they had terminated Ruiz-Atil's contract.[17]

Auxerre

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On 28 June 2022, Ruiz-Atil signed with newly promoted Ligue 1 side Auxerre on a three-year contract. He chose the number 18 jersey at the club.[18] On 31 August, he made his debut for Auxerre in a 2–1 away defeat to Lyon, his hometown club.[19]

On 12 July 2023, Auxerre announced that they had terminated Ruiz-Atil's contract.[20]

Francs Borains

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Having not featured in a match since November 2022, Ruiz-Atil joined Challenger Pro League side Francs Borains on a free transfer in May 2024.[21]

International career

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Ruiz-Atil is eligible to play for France, Morocco, and Spain.[22]

Ruiz-Atil was selected with the Morocco U15 national team in November 2016.[23] He was also selected with the France U16 national team in August 2017,[24] and the France U19 national team in October 2020.[25]

On 3 September 2021, Ruiz-Atil made his debut for the France U20 national team in a 0–0 friendly draw against Norway.[26]

In November 2022, he chose to represent Morocco and was selected for the U23 Moroccan team.[27]

Career statistics

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As of match played 3 November 2024[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Paris Saint-Germain 2020–21 Ligue 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
Barcelona B 2021–22 1ª RFEF 11 0 11 0
Auxerre 2022–23 Ligue 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
Auxerre B 2022–23 National 2 1 0 1 0
Francs Borains 2024–25 Challenger Pro League 8 1 1 0 9 1
Career total 28 1 1 0 0 0 29 1

References

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  1. ^ "Kays Ruiz : la pépite sur laquelle mise le PSG" [Kays Ruiz: the gem on which PSG gambles]. Le Point (in French). 17 July 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. ^ "PSG - Kays Ruiz remercie le Barça, mais ne rêve que de Paris" [PSG - Kays Ruiz thanks Barça, but only dreams of Paris]. Goal.com (in French). 26 June 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Degorre, Damien (12 September 2019). "Les nouveaux prodiges (5/5) : Kays Ruiz-Atil, l'Espagnol de Paris" [The new prodigies (5/5): Kays Ruiz-Atil, the Spanish of Paris]. L'Équipe (in French). Archived from the original on 12 September 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019. Alt URL
  4. ^ Latour, Bertrand (22 July 2015). "Jeune prodige au PSG : "Arrêtez d'être pressés", lance le président de son ancien club" [Young prodigy at PSG: "Stop being in a hurry", says the president of his former club]. RTL (in French).
  5. ^ "Le Barça recrute le Lyonnais Kaïs, 7 ans". Le Monde (in French). 11 September 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  6. ^ Hamza Hizzir (21 July 2015). "Kays Ruiz, "le nouveau Messi" chipé au Barça par le PSG" [Kays Ruiz, "the new Messi" taken from Barça by PSG]. LCI (in French). Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Football : Kays Ruiz, le prodige que le PSG a chipé au Barça" [Football: Kays Ruiz, the prodigy that PSG has taken from Barça]. Le Parisien (in French). 21 July 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  8. ^ Henry, Michel (8 November 2018). "Le fils, le père et le maire: l'improbable recrutement d'un futur Messi au PSG" [The son, the father, and the mayor: the improbable recruitment of a future Messi at PSG]. Mediapart (in French). Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  9. ^ Aflalo, Alexandre (27 June 2017). "PÉPITE : Le Paris Saint-Germain blinde l'un de ses U15" [GEM: Paris Saint-Germain protects one of its U15]. 90min.com (in French). Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Football : " mon rêve est de jouer en équipe première du PSG ", assure la pépite Kays Ruiz-Atil" [Football: "my dream is to play in the first team of PSG", assures the gem Kays Ruiz-Atil]. Le Parisien (in French). 25 June 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Lens vs. Paris Saint-Germain - Football Match Line-Ups - September 10, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  12. ^ "RC Lens - Paris Saint-Germain". SofaScore. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  13. ^ Léger-Moëc, Aurélien (4 February 2021). "PSG : Kays Ruiz-Atil se dirige vers un départ !" [PSG: Kays Ruiz-Atil heads toward a departure!]. Foot Mercato (in French). Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  14. ^ Margueritte, Matthieu (25 May 2021). "Kays Ruiz-Atil annonce son départ du PSG" [Kays Ruiz-Atil announces his departure from PSG]. Foot Mercato (in French). Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Barça B sign Kays Ruiz". FC Barcelona. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Barça B 4-0 Sevilla Atlético: First half firepower". FC Barcelona. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  17. ^ "FC Barcelona no longer require the services of Kays Ruiz". FC Barcelona. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Kays Ruiz-Atil, nouvelle recrue de l'AJ Auxerre" (in French). AJ Auxerre. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Lyon vs. Auxerre". Soccerway. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  20. ^ Alain, Alexandre (24 August 2023). "Communiqué du club". AJA (in French). Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  21. ^ "24-25 KAYS RUIZ-ATIL A SIGNÉ !" (in French). Francs Borains. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Kays Ruiz Atil hésite entre le Maroc, l'Espagne et la France".
  23. ^ "Football : Kays Ruiz, la pépite du PSG que l'Europe convoite" [Football: Kays Ruiz, the gem of PSG that Europe desires]. Le Parisien (in French). 16 March 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Equipes de France - Débuts en Bleu" [France teams - Debuts in Blue]. fff.fr (in French). 16 August 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  25. ^ Cassoly, Marius (9 October 2020). "Matches annulés pour l'équipe de France U19 de Ruiz-Atil et Pembele après un cas de Covid-19" [Matches cancelled for the France U19 team of Ruiz-Atil and Pembele after a case of Covid-19]. Culture PSG (in French). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  26. ^ "U20 Friendlies 2021 » September » France - Norway 0:0". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Auxerre: Kays Ruiz-Atil a tranché pour sa sélection nationale".
  28. ^ Kays Ruiz-Atil at Soccerway
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